Dickies Original 874 Work Pants Review (2026): The Uniform

Why you should trust this review

I bought these 874s myself, not as samples from Dickies. I have worn them for nine months through real work, garage projects, restaurant shifts, and daily errands, the kind of use that grinds down lesser pants at the knees and seams. Dickies did not provide them and has no idea I wrote this.

Workwear reviews are easy to fake with one photo of fresh-out-of-the-bag pants, so I waited until these had real mileage. I put them through repeated machine washing, daily wear, and the messes that come with real-world work, then judged how the fabric, crease, seams, and color held up. Everything below is nine months of honest wear, not a first-impression hot take.

How we evaluated

I wore these as regular work pants for nine months across garage work, restaurant shifts on my feet, and everyday wear, then ran them through the washer dozens of times to see whether the permanent crease and color survive real laundering rather than a careful hand-wash. I deliberately did not baby them, because the 874’s whole appeal is durability under abuse.

I judged five things: how the twill resists wrinkles and stains under work conditions, whether the permanent crease holds through repeated washing, how the seams and overall build hold up to mileage, how the straight cut fits over boots, and how the fabric behaves in heat. I also checked sizing accuracy and whether the hems arrive truly finished.

Fabric durability and stain resistance

The 7.75-ounce polyester-cotton twill is the heart of why this pant lasts. It is substantial enough to feel structured and protective without being stiff, and across nine months of garage grime and restaurant spills it shed stains far better than a cotton pant would. Wrinkles never set in the way they do on softer fabrics, so the pants look presentable even after being balled up in a hamper, which matters for anyone wearing them to a shift.

Durability is the real story. After nine months the twill still feels structured rather than worn thin, the knees show no blowout, and there is no thinning at the high-wear points. The polyester content is what buys that toughness, and the blend has clearly earned the 874’s reputation for outlasting the jobs people wear it for. This is fabric chosen for survival, and it survives.

Permanent crease and finish quality

The permanent crease is a genuine feature, not a marketing line. It held its shape through dozens of wash cycles, so the pants keep a crisp front line without ironing, which is exactly what you want from a pant you wear hard and wash often. That single detail is why the 874 reads as a touch more put-together than a plain work pant, even after it has been through the laundry many times.

The seams and construction held up cleanly across the test, with no popped stitches or fraying at stress points, and the colors stayed color-fast through repeated machine washing rather than fading to a tired wash-out. The hems are another quiet win: they arrive finished at the listed inseam length, so there is no trip to a tailor before you can wear them. For the money, the build quality is well above what the price suggests.

Fit, cut, and warm-weather wear

Sizing runs true to waist, which makes ordering straightforward, and the straight, mid-rise classic cut runs cleanly over work boots without bunching at the ankle. That boot-friendly leg is part of why the 874 has been a uniform staple for decades; it sits right over the gear you actually wear on a job. With finished hems and accurate sizing, getting a pair that fits is simpler than with most workwear.

The honest trade-offs are heat and formality. The polyester blend that buys all that durability also traps heat, so on summer days above the low 80s these run warm compared to a pure-cotton pant. And the straight, classic cut is unmistakably workwear; it is dated for an office or an evening out. The waistband also has zero stretch, so your size has to be exact, with no give to absorb a heavy meal or a long day.

Who should buy the Dickies 874?

Buy it if you want a durable work pant that resists wrinkles and stains, holds a crease through repeated washing, and runs cleanly over boots. Buy it if you value finished hems, true-to-waist sizing, and one of the best dollar-per-wear deals in workwear.

Skip it if you run hot and work outdoors in summer heat, where the polyester blend traps warmth, or if you want a modern, dressier cut for office or evening wear. Skip it too if you need waistband stretch, since this has none and demands an exact size.

The verdict

The Dickies Original 874 has earned its decades-long reputation, and nine months of garage and restaurant wear confirmed why. The 7.75-ounce polyester-cotton twill shrugged off wrinkles and stains, the permanent crease held crisp through dozens of washes, and the seams and color stayed clean and fast under real abuse. The straight leg runs neatly over boots, the hems arrive finished, and sizing is true to waist, so getting a pair that works is easy.

The honest limits are predictable: the polyester blend that makes it so tough also traps heat in summer, the cut is dated for anything dressier than work, and the no-stretch waistband demands an exact size. None of that undercuts the core value. As a hardwearing, low-fuss uniform pant with an excellent dollar-per-wear, the 874 is exactly what it claims to be, and I would buy another pair without hesitation.